Zen Micro wont exit recovery mode or clean up

Ive had my Zen Micro (5gb) for a number of years and have replaced the battery within the past year. Randomly today it went into recovery mode, I did not drop the mp3 player before this. When I select Clean Up and hit Yes, it returns me to the main menu and does nothing. It has firmware v0.0.65 (I dont know if thats new or old) and rebooting does nothing. When I connect it to my PC, Organizer pops up but shows nothing on the mp3 player. When I got to Media Explorer it says its not connected (because of recovery mode?)

I really dont want to format the HD. If I do the Reset (the hole next to the power switch), will it format my mp3 player?

my zen vision m 30g has been stuck in reocvery mode for months..I tried using the recovery tool an downloading firmware from creatives website, but it says that the player is not detected so I cant do anything..tried reset and clean up and still nothing..please help...

my zen vision m 30g has been stuck in reocvery mode for months..I tried using the recovery tool an downloading firmware from creatives website, but it says that the player is not detected so I cant do anything..tried reset and clean up and still nothing..please help...

3 Answers

OK to everyone who messed up the firmware of Zen Micro and run vista, u r all idiots, including me. my zen was stuck in recovery mode and recovery menu as everyone experienced and tried to upgrade the firmware via the firmware updater that didnt work, right? ok through research and time i came to realize that what was causing the updater to fail (...please connect your media player...) is windows media player 11 (ELEVEN !!) zen update firmware will work only with windows media player 10 (TEN !!) installed. y? i dont know and i dont care anymore now that my micro is fixed up and running with the latest released firmware. method 1:u can find smne with xp and wmp10 (rare) install drivers and run the updater ormethod 2:u can DIY and since it is impossible to uninstall wmp11 i did the unthinkable, no no not format and install xp to use wmp10 no no.

instead i used a program called VIRTUAL MACHINE WORKSTATION 6.5 (for links keep confidential suppling ur email to me) this program will allow u to install and run several operating systems at a time regardless of your current hardware, it will run as an application in vista O/S. so i installed xp pro (on vmware 6.5) that i had handy somewhere, and then the drivers from the creative disc. then i run the firmware updater and yes it recognises my zen for the first time and loads a brand new firmware. easy as that, zen reboots and main menu appears, what a joy.

so all i used was:vmware 6.5xp pro (wmp10)creative discfirmware updater by creative

installing operating systems on vmware is very easy and doesnt require restarts etc.. u can switch through vista and xp like a window application just like that.

hope this helps, zen micro is by far the ultimate mp3 player for its sound breathtaking performance and loudness, totally worth the trouble. this is 100% fixable

2 Suggested Answers

1. remove all creative software from your pc (do this from start menu/settings/control panel/add or remove programs)
2. Uninstall Windows Media Player 11 and Windows Media Player 11 runtime. This will rollback the pc to an earlier version of WMP.
3. Download the latest version of the zen driver from this location: http://us.creative.com/support/downl...ame=Windows+XP
4. Make sure the zen is not connected to the pc and install run the exe file to install the software on your pc. at some point, the install will tell you that the unit is not connected. Connect the unit to proceed. it will also notify you that you are replacing an existing software, or something to that effect. I accepted or said OK to this popup. Once the firmware is installed, my started to work fine. You can now reinstall WMP from microsoft website. Hope this works for you. you might want to verify that your new player has the latest firmware available, as this might address the unresponsive-button issue you're having. Firmware updates are surprisingly easy - you just download the firmware file from Creative's website, plug in your player, and double-click the downloaded file. It's that easy.

Tell us some more! Your answer needs to include more details to help people.You can't post answers that contain an email address.Please enter a valid email address.The email address entered is already associated to an account.Login to postPlease use English characters only.

Sounds like you have tried all the obvious. The unit may have a terminal hardware problem or an unrecoverable firmware problem. I suggest that you return the unit to a dealer and see if there support guys can produce a cure for you. I am looking for any other things that you may try. Will post any for you soon

First off, download the Firmware upgrade from Creative (http://support.creative.com/downloads/welcome.aspx?nDriverType=4#type_4)

Don't run it just yet!

Now, go into the Zen Micro's Recovery Mode:

1. Take out the battery2. Press and hold the ON/LOCK button in the ON position (far left) and put the battery back in the player.3. The player will then switch on - wait until "Recovery Mode" appears on the screen then let go of the ON/LOCK button.

The Recovery Mode options include an option to "Reload Firmware".

Now connect your Zen Micro to your PC and run the Firmware upgrade. Your player should be recognized by the Firmware uploader. If it isn't, then then your player has other damage.

May be u would have faced loose connections, for better results turn off the zen wait for 20sec and then connect it to the power and make sure u dont keep moving the zen or the cable attatched to it... Due to wear and tear loose contact becomes prone..!! Hoping for a good rating from u...!!!

Take out the battery, press and hold the ON switch and reinsert the battery. Hold the ON switch until the recovery menu appears shortly after the Creative Logo disappears. Selection option 3, which is to reload the firmware. Keep in mind that doing so will delete everything on the player.